1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to inventory management, and in particular to using a franking machine to manage mail system supply usage inventory.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
Postage meters, also referred to as franking machines, are generally known in the art. Generally, a franking machine is used to print postal indicia on an envelope or label. As the postage meter dispenses funds to print the indicia, accounting records are kept in the postage meter to monitor usage of the postal meter. For example a funds account in the meter can represent the funds available in the meter. As postal indicia is printed, these funds are depleted accordingly. Generally, the accounting data related to the funds available for printing postage, or the funds expended, are contained in registers in the postage meter. The funds are accessed and registers adjusted and updated for every meter trip. A “trip” can be defined as the act of printing or dispensing a postal indicia. The register and meter trips date, also referred to as cycles, can be electronically transmitted to a central station for accounting and other administrative processes.
Mail handling systems for printing postal indicia on mail items are known. Franking machines can include a printing device for printing a franking impression including postal indicia on a mail piece as well as accounting and control unit functions.
Postage meters are generally stand-alone devices that print postage indicia on mail items such as for example envelopes or labels. The meters are typically at a single user location and provide metering for that location. Postage meters and franking machines can include control panels and displays that allow a user to access the functions of each device and the system.
A postage metering system can also include other functionalities for the processing of mail items, including inbound, outbound mail, parcel and information flow.
A secure cryptographic vault device, also known as a postal security device (PSD), is used for securely storing data, such as amounts of postage. The cryptographic vault device can securely store data so that the data cannot be tampered with without destroying the data. The data stored in a cryptographic vault is secured against physical attacks on the hardware of the cryptographic vault device and against software intrusions.
The cryptographic vault device is integrated in turnkey postage dispensing systems, such as postage meters. Other devices integrated with the cryptographic vault device can include, for example, a printer, a scale, and an envelope feeder mechanism. The turnkey system can also include a personal computer, server or workstation directly coupled to the cryptographic vault device. Direct access to the cryptographic vault device is only from some of the integrated components of the postage dispensing system. Therefore, the use of the cryptographic vault device is limited to the functions built into the integrated postage dispensing system. In order to provide customized access to the cryptographic vault device, a user would have to acquire a turnkey system, which includes predefined devices and software, and then customize the turnkey system to meet business requirements.
Value metering devices are devices which in their most basic form meter value. These devices take various forms such as, for example, postage meters (i.e. franking machines), various kinds of vending machines (i.e. lottery vending machines), tax stamp machines, various kinds of ticket dispensing machines, etc. Of these various devices, postage meters are one form of a value metering device that dispense value in the form of postage, e.g. postage indicia, basically either as a stand-alone type postage meter or as part of a mailing system. The stand-alone type postage meter is basically a postage meter having both its entire accounting system and security system positioned in a single secure housing, the accounting system being mechanically coupled to the printing mechanism which prints the postage related indicia.
In addition to the stand-alone type systems as described above there are mailing systems which are basically formed of a mailing machine (i.e. a machine that can perform different mailing related functions (e.g. feeding, stacking, separating, sealing of envelopes, etc.) on which a postage meter is securely mounted. The postage meter is typically located in a securely sealed housing, which contains the accounting and printing mechanisms. In the past few years both ink jet printing technology and smart card technology (i.e. smart cards used for securely housing the accounting circuitry of the postage meter) have been employed in these postage meters. The mailing machine systems including an electronic postage meter have enabled the users of such equipment to customize the exact type of mailing system they require by designing the overall mailing system in a modular fashion. One is able to set up a mailing system that will include individually removably mounted modules that can be added to or removed from the mailing system. For example, if one had a modular mailing system without an envelope stacker, one could add such a module to their system, and thereby have a mailing system that is able to stack envelopes once the postage has been placed on envelopes that are fed into the system. If the stacker module required repair, the stacker could easily be removed for repair since it is but one module within a modular system. Features such as inserters, feeders/separators, sealers, scales, moisteners, addressers, stackers, etc. can be added for use with a postage meter to form different types of mailing systems.
Typically, the postage can be printed directly on a mailpiece, or a label that is to be attached to the mailpiece.
A mailpiece can include envelopes, packages, and in some instances boxes. Envelopes come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and in some applications, the postage can be printed directly on the envelope. Otherwise, labels suitable for United States Postal Service (“USPS”) applications, can be used.
In any mail processing system, the volume of usage of different types of mailpieces can vary. The franking machine maintains, among other things, data and records regarding the number of cycles of the franking machine and the amount of funds used for franking and the amount of funds available. It would be helpful to be able to automatically track the usage of supplies, and in particular envelopes and labels, related to the mail system process based on the number of cycles of the franking machine.